On 6 November 2025 at a tombola buffet breakfast at Paradise Bay Hotel, former Minister Clayton Bartolo addressed his loyal supporters gathered for his campaign event. "If you hear somebody asking whether I'm contesting the next general election, the answer is yes," he proclaimed to huge cheers.

On 26 April 2026 Bartolo announced on Facebook that he won't be a Labour candidate after all. 

"If somebody tells you that I am contesting as an independent, I will tell you one thing - I was Labour, I am Labour and I will always remain Labour," Bartolo declared defiantly in November. But by April, Labour was relieved to be rid of him.

Just hours before Prime Minister Robert Abela announced the next general election, Bartolo was licking his wounds and making his own bizarre announcement - "A few hours ago I received credible information that during the election campaign a vile and disgusting attack will be mounted against me, my wife and my family". 

"The aim of those behind these attacks is clear - to undermine the success of the Labour party government," he added. "I will not contest the next general election - I will let nobody use me to harm the Labour Party, and therefore I informed the Prime Minister Robert Abela of this decision".

For months Bartolo had been accusing unknown persons of persecuting him and his family.  He labelled every meticulous investigative report exposing his suspicious links as "a cruel act" against him and his family. He labelled those revelations fake allegations and lies. He pushed the narrative that he was doing so much good for the party that an all-powerful vicious force was working assiduously to destroy him.  Bartolo told his loyal supporters that "whoever committed this cruel act against me and my family, who put us through this personal Calvary, whoever is carrying out this political persecution had only one aim - to stop me in my political journey".

It turned out that behind that "cruel act" against Bartolo was the Standards Commissioner who concluded that Bartolo abused of his position when he got his girlfriend a Gozo ministry consultancy with a €68,000 pay package despite her evident lack of competence and her complete absence from the Gozo ministry. Behind another "vile and disgusting attack" was the police's Financial Crimes Investigation Department, the FCID, which acted on an FIAU report exposing how Bartolo's then girlfriend, Amanda Muscat, was allegedly paid another 50,000 euro by a private company who Bartolo recruited and paid tens of thousands of euro.

Also responsible for Bartolo's "persecution" was the Times of Malta which revealed that Muscat's wife, Amanda was allegedly paid €120,000 by Fortina which benefitted from a multi-million euro discount from the state over its Tigne' land concession.  Despite ostensibly being employed by Fortina, Amanda Muscat was still listed as a Central Bank of Malta employee. 

Clayton Bartolo's cynical attempt to discredit the work of the media, the police and the standards commissioner did the country no good.  Quite the contrary.  His frontal assault on those institutions in a desperate attempt to evade responsibility and to conceal his abuse further damaged the very fabric of our fragile democracy.  

Bartolo had every right to defend himself through legitimate means - but not by accusing those institutions of malign intent, cruelty, vileness and disgusting wickedness. Their work to uncover the truth and mete justice is simply the fulfillment of their duty towards the nation.  Bartolo's malicious attempt to intimidate them and undermine their credibility should be seen for what it is - a desperate attempt to avert responsibility and to save his skin.

Those revelations about Bartolo and his wife were published not because somebody was remotely interested in harming Clayton Bartolo or his family - only because it looked suspiciously like Bartolo was gouging the state. The facts aroused sufficient suspicion for the FCID to call Bartolo and his wife in for questioning. Those revelations were sufficiently credible for the courts to freeze Bartolo's and his wife's assets.

The courts don't freeze assets without at least prima facie evidence of possible criminal activity. Fake news, lies, cruel attacks and persecution are not sufficient triggers for the courts to issue attachment orders on cabinet ministers.

On 1 March Bartolo was still playing the victim, claiming he was being subjected to "an attack".  He insisted the harm done to him was also being done to the Labour party because "I cannot help the party as much as I'd like". He trumpeted "the successes I achieved" which "nobody can deny".  He demanded to be allowed "to continue with my work, rejoin the Labour party parliamentary group and contest the next general election on the party ticket".

By April 26 it became obvious, even to Bartolo, that Labour didn't want him back. Bartolo reacted with more wild claims - "a vile and disgusting attack will be mounted against me, my wife and my family". He used that fabricated story to convince the public it was his decision to throw in the towel, and opt not to contest.

If Bartolo did nothing wrong and contributed so handsomely to the country and the party, why abandon his burning ambition to run for election? If all those "vile attacks" were just "lies" why did he just cave in? The Labour party didn't defend him.  It issued no statements supporting him. The Prime Minister and party leader didn't bother condemning the "vile disgusting attack" Bartolo had conjured up. If the party were so convinced of Bartolo's innocence it would have deployed the full might of its media machine to protect him.  Instead, Labour quietly let him go, ignoring his hysterics - and that speaks volumes.

Labour defended even the notorious Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri, voting overwhelmingly in parliament to shield them. Labour welcomed Rosianne Cutajar back into the fold even without the apology Robert Abela demanded.  Labour fiercely protected Silvio Schembri and Clint Camilleri.  Abela personally defended even Neville Gafa.  But not Clayton Bartolo - and that says it all.  When even Labour decides to dump you, you must really be a serious liability.

And to prove that point, Clayton issued  his farewell threat - "to all those of you who did your utmost to put me and my family through this Calvary, I tell you, the time of reckoning will come for everybody". Let us hope so.